The Blizzard
by ananova
Summary: Facing a snow youkai, Kagome and Inuyasha are separated from the others. Inuyasha is injured, and they are lost in a snow storm. How will they survive? Warning Lemon.


Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I am not making any money from this story.

Author's Note: This came about after reading so many wonderful blanket fics. I felt the need to write my own. It was especially inspired by SplendentGoddess' Backwards Blanket in which Kagome saved Inuyasha. But I wanted to do it a little different as you will see, what would happen if they were both affected by the cold, Inuyasha more then Kagome, and both in danger of dying? I tried to be as original as possible but I'm sure it is similar to others and I apologize if it seems like I am copying ideas, that is not my intention.

Also, if anyone bothers to read these author notes, I'm not very happy with the title but couldn't think of anything better. Any suggestions?

Warning: Lemon ahead. Don't read if you're underage or don't like.

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><p>"No! We don't have time to waste here! We have to hurry up and find the Shikon no Kakera before Naraku does!" Inuyasha glared at the group, ignoring the pleading faces of the villagers that had stopped them.<p>

Kagome sighed and exchanged a look with Miroku and Sango. And today had started out so well. Kagome had actually completed all of her assignments, including the extra credit work needed to raise her grade to a passing one and it was tucked safely in her bag until she could return through the well. The weather was beautiful, the sun shining without a cloud in the sky. And best yet, she hadn't had to 'sit' Inuyasha once today, hadn't even gotten into one argument with him. Of course it was too good to last.

They had stopped at a village to learn if there were any rumors of Naraku or Shikon shards. But before they could ask they had been bombarded with villagers begging them to save them from the group of youkai that had been attacking them. They should have anticipated Inuyasha's response.

"Please Inuyasha, they need our help. I'm sure it won't take long."

"Keh! And while we're busy wasting our time here Naraku will be gathering all the shards and completing the Shikon no Tama! No!" He glared at her.

Miroku cleared his throat and tried. "We wouldn't be wasting our time, Inuyasha. We would be helping these villagers out. Is that not a worthy goal?" When the hanyou moved to respond Miroku cut him off. "And besides, it is possible that the youkai in question have a shard. I have been speaking with some of the villagers and have learned that they are being harassed by snow youkai. And snow youkai do not normally come this far south, especially not at this time of the year."

Inuyasha paused to contemplate that. "Fine! We'll deal with the youkai. But we better get a shard out of this bouzu, or I'm gonna take the delay out of your hide!" With that he turned and headed in the direction the villagers had indicated the attacks had come from. The others quickly followed the grumpy hanyou.

As they moved further away from the village they quickly discovered evidence of the youkai's recent presence. The trees were barren and covered with a thin layer of frost. And the further into the forest they walked, the thicker the frost was until they were walking through a thick layer of snow.

"Brr" Kagome rubbed her hands up and down her arms for warmth. She was freezing and wishing that she had a set of warmer clothing in her bag. Or at least a pair of pants. Her school uniform wasn't meant for this kind of weather.

Inuyasha's ears twitched in her direction and he turned to glance at her. Taking in her shivering form he let out a growl of irritation before removing his haori.

Kagome jumped as she felt a weight settle over her shoulders, bringing instant warmth to her freezing body. "Inuyasha?" she asked as she took in the familiar sight of his haori.

"Feh. The cold don't affect me like it does weak humans."

She gave him a smile as she pulled the haori tighter around her body. "Thank you Inuyasha."

"Look" Sango called out, drawing them out of their reverie.

They turned and saw a large figure covered in white fur. Kagome stared. "It's the abominable snowman" she muttered in shock.

"Keh. I don't care who it is, it's going down" Inuyasha said as he reached for the Tessaiga.

But the youkai had caught sight of them. With a roar, it lifted its arms and pounded the ground before inhaling deeply and then sharply exhaling. Wind and snow erupted from its mouth, and the group of shard hunters was forced to shield their eyes from the rapidly forming blizzard. Then the youkai turned and began to run away.

"Keh! You're not getting away that easily" Inuyasha called after it. "Come on!" He pulled Kagome onto his back and rapidly gave chase. He could hear the others following in the distance but the sudden blizzard was blinding and they quickly lost them in it. He put it out of his mind, he could always track them down after he defeated the youkai.

He soon caught up to the youkai in a small snow covered clearing. "Nowhere to run now." He let Kagome slide off his back as he cracked his knuckles. "Now turn over your shard."

"Um, Inuyasha, he doesn't have a shard" Kagome hesitantly spoke up.

"What!" He glared at her, taking his eyes off of the youkai. That was a mistake.

As soon as Inuyasha's attention was diverted, the youkai charged him, swinging his fists. Inuyasha hastily leaped out of the way and the youkai hit a tree instead. "Keh, you'll have to do better than that." He paused as he noticed that the tree had frozen where the youkai had struck it. He resolved not to let it touch him as he unsheathed Tessaiga.

The next time the youkai charged him, Inuyasha swung Tessaiga and made a shallow cut on its arm. The snow youkai let out a roar of pain and outrage before renewing its attacks. Suddenly, it paused, crossing its arms over its chest before flinging them open. Thick, sharp icicles flew forward.

With a startled curse Inuyasha managed to dodge them. He glared at the youkai and tightened his grip on Tessaiga as the creature made to repeat the move. A glowing arrow shot forward, grazing the youkai's arm and causing it to howl in pain. "Keh, not so tough now are you" Inuyasha taunted as he raised Tessaiga, seeing Kagome notch another arrow just in case.

The youkai roared it's anger, then exhaled in Inuyasha's direction, blinding him with the blast of wind and snow. Inuyasha cursed, shielding his eyes even as he was aware of Kagome preparing to loose another arrow. Then he became aware of the youkai's plan as it crossed it's arms and released another barrage of icicles, this time in Kagome's direction. "Kagome!" he cried as he ran, managing to sweep her into his arms and dodge most of the icy projectiles. But one managed to hit, impaling him on the right side of his body. He cursed again as waves of pain followed by an icy chill spread throughout his body. "Damn it!" He ignored Kagome's startled cry of his name as he set her down and stood protectively in front of her, Tessaiga raised. "I'm through playing around. Kaze no Kizu!"

The tendrils of youki quickly spread out from the fang and engulfed the youkai, turning it to dust. Once it was no more, Inuyasha sheathed the Tessaiga then grasped the chunk of ice in his side and pulled it free. He then fell to his knees as the waves of pain increased.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome raced to his side and tugged his kosode out of the way to inspect the damage. Inuyasha didn't even put up much protest or attempt to stop her. He was having trouble focusing, all he could feel was the pain and the cold. His lack of response only served to increase Kagome's worry and she hissed when she saw the gaping wound with the blood freely flowing out of it. "This is really bad. We need to bandage it right away" she said as she reached for her bag.

Suddenly, the storm that had slightly calmed with the death of the youkai grew intense again. Kagome's hands stilled as she heard roars of outrage echoing nearby. Looking around, she could barely make out large shapes moving in the blizzard. She gulped nervously as she realized that there were more of the youkai out there. She quickly grabbed her bow and notched an arrow. "Inuyasha" she called nervously as she glanced around. He tried to stand but quickly sank to his knees again and she felt dread fill her.

Suddenly, one of the shapes darted out of the blizzard. Kagome released her arrow with a startled cry and the arrow hit. The youkai let out a startled cry and leaped back into the blizzard, which rapidly increased in intensity. Focusing on her untrained miko senses Kagome could tell that the youkai were moving back. She let out a sigh of relief as she turned her attention back to the hanyou.

"Come on Inuyasha. We can't stay here. We need to find some shelter and that wound needs to be treated before you bleed to death." She lifted his arm over her shoulder and helped him stand. She could feel the cold even through the warmth of the haori and didn't know how Inuyasha could stand it.

"K-keh. Don't n-need your h-help" Inuyasha said through chattering teeth as he tried to pull away only to nearly collapse back against her.

"We don't have time to argue Inuyasha. Not even you will be able to stand up to this cold for long." She draped his arm over her shoulder again and began leading him through the forest. She could only hope that they would find shelter quickly.

As they continued to stumble through the blizzard Kagome wondered how they would survive. 'How am I going to find shelter when I can't see anything?' The snow was blinding her to her surroundings. She couldn't feel her body any longer, only the cold and Inuyasha's body leaning against hers. She groaned as she felt Inuyasha's weight press further down on her. 'Something's wrong. He's been badly injured before but never been this out of it. It has to be the cold.' "Inuyasha?" she tried to get his attention but there was no response. She sighed and continued forward, praying for a miracle.

Unexpectedly, her foot encountered a snow covered tree root, and she tripped, falling to the ground with Inuyasha on top of her. She groaned as she tried to lift herself up. She couldn't find the energy to move. "It's so cold" she shivered, soaked to the bone. "C-can't m-move." She was finding it hard to think. "M-maybe if I j-just r-rest a l-little." Her eyes started to drift closed. A warning was going off in her mind but she couldn't focus on why resting was a bad idea.

Nearly unconscious, she heard a groan and her eyes snapped open. "Inuyasha!" she gasped. She forced herself to her feet. "No, have to keep g-going. Inuyasha n-needs m-me." She managed to drag him up so that his unconscious form was draped over her back. Hunched over she trudged forward, half dragging half carrying the hanyou. She repeated over and over "Can't g-give up. M-must s-save Inuyasha."

Just as she felt that she could go no further she spotted the outline of a hut. With a cry she renewed her efforts and stumbled toward it. "Thank the Kami" she gasped as she took in the sight of the old dilapidated hut. It wasn't much but it would offer them a roof over their heads and protection from the storm.

With a burst of renewed energy she dragged Inuyasha into the hut. Panting, she closed the door behind her and shivered as she tried to catch her breath after lowering him to the ground.

Kagome opened her eyes and took in the inside of the hut. It was filthy, covered in dust. It had definitely seen better days as there were some small holes in the walls and it was completely empty of any furnishings or belongings but it would protect them from the worst of the storm. She shivered again and heard Inuyasha moan beside her. She glanced at him and saw how badly he was shivering.

"G-got t-to s-start a f-fire." She immediately went to the fire pit in middle of the hut and cleaned it out. She looked around the hut but there was absolutely nothing to burn. "N-no" she cried. Spotting her bag she began digging through its contents. "T-there has to b-be something here that w-will burn" she muttered. Everything that she pulled out was soaking wet. She was near tears as she pulled out her sleeping bag. It at least was dry. She absently gave thanks that she had gotten the weather proof design. "At l-least I can wrap Inuyasha in t-this." As she completely pulled it from her bag to open it, she caught sight of her school books. They were nearly completely dry, having been protected by the sleeping bag.

She stared at them. 'I could burn them' she thought and started to reach for them. She hesitated as she thought of all of the work that she had done, all of her notes and the assignments that she had worked hard to complete. 'I'll never be able to catch up if I do.' Another groan from Inuyasha snapped her out of her thoughts and with a resolved look on her face she snatched the books up and began to tear the pages loose, setting them in the fire pit. She then reached for her matches in their weather-proof container and struck one and, without hesitation, dropped it onto the pile of paper. She soon had a decent sized fire going and sighed as she felt the warmth from it.

Her shivering became more pronounced now that there was a source of heat nearby. All she wanted to do was curl up in front of the fire but she knew Inuyasha needed her. She forced herself to crawl over to him. Taking in his wet, shivering form, she knew that she had to get him out of that wet clothing before she put him in the sleeping bag. She reached for the ties of his kosode and painstakingly began to remove it. Kagome gasped as she caught sight of the bloody wound on his right side. She had forgotten all about it. Now that they were out of the cold the blood was flowing more freely. She finished removing his kosode and reached for her first aid kit. She was thankful that the metal of the kit had kept the bandages dry and she quickly set to work cleaning and bandaging the wound. "T-there" she said as she finished bandaging him up. 'Hopefully now he'll be able to heal like normal' she thought.

She turned back to him after setting the first aid kit aside. He was shivering and his lips were tinged blue. 'I have to get him warmed up soon. I don't think his youkai blood will help much longer if he doesn't warm up soon.' She blushed but with a resolved look on her face began to untie his hakama and pulled them off. If she hadn't been so cold and focused on taking of Inuyasha her blush would have deepened when she realized that he wore no fundoshi. She forced herself not to stare at him as she started to drag him to where she had set the sleeping bag before the fire.

Kagome paused before she put him in the bag. He was still wet and his hair was dripping. Her mind was fuzzy but she knew he wouldn't be able to warm up if he was soaked. "N-need to d-dry him f-first." She reached for where she had set her things and pulled the driest piece of cloth she could find from the pile. Then she set to work quickly wiping Inuyasha down and getting him as dry as possible. Next she wrung out his hair and gave it a quick wipe down as well. Finally satisfied that she had gotten him as dry as possible, she quickly got him wrapped up in the sleeping bag.

Kagome sighed as she settled herself before the fire next to the unconscious hanyou. Now that she wasn't focused on helping him get warm and dry, her own body started to demand her attention. She suddenly realized that the annoying sound she had been hearing for the last few minutes was her chattering teeth. She shivered and could feel the pain in her limbs as they began to regain feeling. She finally became aware that she was soaked to the bone. Shivering again, she stripped out of her own wet clothing and sat as close to the fire as she could and tried to dry herself as best as she could. She knew she had to get warm somehow but all of her clothes were soaked. She tried to think of a way to warm up as the wind blew through the holes in the hut, renewing her shivering.

Kagome felt her mind becoming even fuzzier. She was so cold, despite the heat of the fire. She knew she had to get warm but couldn't think. She felt her eyes getting heavy and glanced around, knowing it was a bad idea to let herself fall asleep. She gasped as she noticed that Inuyasha was still shivering despite being wrapped in the sleeping bag in front of the fire. She stumbled over to his side and frantically began to rub him through the sleeping bag. "G-got to w-warm h-him up." She could tell that it wasn't working and her fuzzy mind wasn't allowing her to think of anything else to do.

Her thoughts drifted and she found herself recalling her last visit home. Her friends had dragged her out to see a movie. 'Wait, that's it.' In the movie the main characters had been in a similar situation, stranded in a snow storm with only one blanket. 'What did they say, body heat?' If she was remembering right and if the movie was right on that point then the quickest way to warm someone up was by sharing body heat.

'Well' she thought with a shiver, 'I don't have much extra heat right now but if it works it will help both of us.' With that she climbed into the sleeping bag and wrapped an arm around Inuyasha, curling into his left side and being careful of the wound on his right. She immediately began to feel warmer, as her teeth stopped chattering. She rubbed at Inuyasha's chest and was pleased to note that his shivering had lessened. She sighed with relief, and with no other thoughts pressing on her mind she allowed her body to relax. As she began to drift off, she was vaguely aware of an arm wrapping around her body.

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><p>Inuyasha groaned as he felt himself slowly return to consciousness. 'What happened?' he wondered as he felt a slight throbbing in his right side. The last thing he could remember was defeating the youkai but being stuck out in a blizzard. Eyes still closed, he noted how warm he felt. 'The others must have found us and gotten us to shelter' he thought with relief. Not sensing any danger, he was content to stay where he was for the moment, eyes still closed. That is, until he felt something shift on his chest and he became aware of an unfamiliar weight pressing him down.<p>

His eyes snapped open and he stared in shock at the top of Kagome's head. 'What the hell?' With a start, he realized that his arms were wrapped around her and he immediately released her and tried to move away. He found that he couldn't, and looking down he noted that they were wrapped in her sleeping bag, he on his back and Kagome draped on top of him with her limbs to either side of his body. Looking at their surroundings, he took note of the fire burning next to them but did not see any of their companions. 'If they aren't here then how did we get here?' he wondered. His eyes landed on the clothes dropped carelessly on the ground and a confused look came over his face.

Slowly, he became aware of a new sensation and his eyes widened as he glanced down into the sleeping bag. "What the fuck?" he yelled before he could stop himself as he realized that they were both naked in the sleeping bag. He immediately stilled and quieted, silently hoping that Kagome wouldn't wake up. While he wanted answers about what had happened, he was worried she would take their position the wrong way and osuwari him to hell.

But his prayers fell on deaf ears as Kagome began to stir. Her eyes opened and stared directly into his.

"Inuyasha?" she mumbled before her head shot up. "You're awake! How do you feel?" Then she became aware of just how she was positioned and blushed before trying to move off. She immediately stilled when her arm brushed his side and he let out a hiss. "Oh no, Inuyasha, I'm sorry. Are you alright? I didn't mean to hurt you." She was afraid to move for fear of causing him more pain. And the way they were wrapped up in the sleeping bag prevented them from moving too much. Though she was confused as to how she had gotten on top of him, she was sure she had laid down at his side. Her memory was a bit fuzzy though.

He brushed aside her worries as his arms immediately wrapped around her body to steady her. "Feh, I'm fine. It's just a scratch, don't worry about it. But how did we get here?" He was relieved to note that she didn't seem angry at their current circumstances so maybe it was completely innocent after all. "The last thing I remember is the snow youkai. I think he hit me with an icicle right before I used the Kaze no Kizu. Then all I can remember is the cold. Where are we and where are the others?"

"Well, I'm not sure about the others, I hope they're alright and managed to find shelter. We became separated chasing the youkai, remember?" At his nod she continued. "After you defeated the youkai, several others showed up. I wounded one with my arrow and they backed off, but the storm got worse. I knew we had to find shelter, so I supported you and began looking for one."

Inuyasha listened as she told him about searching for a hut and trying to get warm. But as he listened to her speak, he became aware of a growing problem. His body was beginning to react to Kagome's nearness and state of dress. With a growing panic he tried to force it away before she noticed. 'Come on, think of something disgusting. Sesshomaru, Naraku, Sesshomaru and Naraku.' He made a face at that one but to his horror it wasn't working.

"-and then I remembered a movie and how two people had shared body heat-" Kagome broke off with a gasp as her eyes widened. 'Was that?' She stared into Inuyasha's wide and horrified eyes as she felt his hardness brush against her. It was nestled just below her most private and intimate area. She blushed furiously as her mind registered just what it was that she was feeling.

She knew exactly what she was feeling against her but why was she feeling it? Was it just his body reacting to their state of dress or was it something more? She turned to Inuyasha and opened her mouth to ask him only to see him flinch and try to move away. "I'm sorry" he blurted when the sleeping bag wouldn't allow him to back away. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

He kept apologizing, hoping that if he did she wouldn't osuwari him to hell. He refused to look at her, not wanting to see the disgusted look he was sure was on her face. He was just a filthy hanyou, he had no right to be thinking those kinds of thoughts about her. Not when she was so beautiful and kind and perfect and everything that he wasn't. So he kept apologizing.

"Inuyasha, shh. It's alright, there's nothing to be sorry for" Kagome soothed him. 'Why is he acting like this, he never apologizes?' "I'm not angry at you, okay?" She reached out and cupped his cheek, forcing his eyes to meet hers.

Inuyasha quieted at her words. 'She's not angry?' When he saw her face he was amazed to see no sign of disgust on her face. "You're not angry?" he repeated her words back to her.

"No, I'm not. I understand. You can't help the way your body reacts." She bit her lip wondering if she should continue but the anxious look in his eyes convinced her. "I'm actually flattered. It means you must have some attraction for me, right?"

Inuyasha could only stare at her. Was she serious? "You're not disgusted?" Then the rest of her words registered and his eyes widened. But she answered before he could question her further.

"No, why would I be disgusted. You're my best friend." She took a deep breath, steadying herself for her admission. "You know I love you, don't you?" There's no way he couldn't, she had said it before when he was around, though never directly to him, not like this.

"Keh. I know. You love me as a friend. That doesn't mean you wouldn't be disgusted about me having those kinds of thoughts about you. I'm nothing but a hanyou." He turned his head away again. "Even Kikyou was disgusted when I would touch her. That's why she wanted me to become human." He winced at that, why did he have to bring her up?

Kagome ignored the mention of Kikyou. She knew she had to settle the hanyou's doubts. "No, Inuyasha. I mean that I love you. It doesn't matter to me that you are a hanyou, that's part of who you are. Your human half gives you the heart to care about others while your youkai half gives you the strength to protect them." She reached out and turned his head back to face her. "Yes you are my friend, but I love you like a woman loves a man. Nothing about you could ever disgust me. I know you don't feel the same, that you love Kikyou but it's alright." She was prevented from saying more when he placed a hand over her mouth.

Inuyasha could only stare at her in awe. How could one as beautiful and pure as her love someone like him? But hearing her confess her love and then discuss Kikyou, he knew he had to set her straight. "No, I don't love Kikyou. I care for her and I owe her vengeance but I'm not in love with her." He lifted Kagome's head so he could stare directly into her eyes. "I'm not good with words, you know that. I know I say things like you're ugly or smell bad but those are all lies. I've tried to keep you from getting too close because I believed that no one could ever love a hanyou. But before I knew it you had worked your way into my heart and I didn't know what to do." He saw the hopeful look in her eyes. "Keh. Yes, I'm saying that I love you too."

At his confession, Kagome lifted her head and kissed him. She felt him give a start in surprise before he began to kiss her back. The kiss deepened and Kagome buried her hands in his hair. One hand latched onto an ear and began to rub. Inuyasha growled through the kiss and his own hands began to wander.

When they finally broke apart, panting for air, he had one hand cupping her rear while the other kneaded her breast. Kagome laid her head back on his chest. "I never dreamed you could love me back."

"Feh, and I never thought anyone could ever love me. Guess we were both wrong." He realized that he had continued to play with her breast but when she didn't object he smirked before letting his hands wander again. Cupping both breasts he tweaked the nipples, causing her to arch against him with a moan.

"Inuyasha" she moaned before letting her own hands wander. She felt the hard planes of his chest, memorizing the feel before allowing one hand to wander lower as she began to kiss his chest where her head laid. Her hands explored his body until she reached where his hard length was still pressing against her. She gave it a gentle caress before hesitantly wrapping one hand around it and tugging lightly. The next thing she knew, she was flipped onto her back with Inuyasha on top of her.

Inuyasha groaned when he felt her grip him. When she tugged, he growled and rolled them over in the sleeping bag, putting himself on top. He gave her a crushing kiss before moving his mouth downward to her breasts. Their movements were limited by the sleeping bag but he managed to kiss the swell of her breasts before moving back up, planting kisses along her collarbone and throat. He nipped and sucked on her throat before planting kisses along her jaw and face, and claiming her mouth once more. His hands weren't idle during this. One hand kneaded her breast while the other reached down to the source of her heat. He swallowed her moans of pleasure.

Kagome was sure she couldn't take anymore. She could feel his fingers carefully moving inside her and he was driving her to the edge. "Please Inuyasha, I need, I need" she moaned as she felt him push over over the edge.

Inuyasha smirked as he felt her release, proud and pleased to have been the one to bring her so much pleasure. He hissed as he felt her grasp him again. His control was hanging by a thread as he pulled back as far as he could. "No, Kagome, we have to stop."

"Why?" She didn't understand why he was pulling away. She just wanted to bring him as much pleasure as he had just brought her. She reached for him, trying to pull him closer. "I don't want to stop. I want this. I want you." Tears leaked from her eyes as she nearly begged him.

He leaned back to look at her. He wanted this so badly but he had to be sure. "Are you sure Kagome? Once we do this we can't go back to the way things were. This is permanent."

"Please I love you and I want you. I need you, please."

He swallowed, hard as he listened to her pleading. He could barely contain himself but he managed to maintain a sliver of control. He had to make sure she understood. "If we do this, it will be forever. We'll be mates."

Kagome heard his words and her heart surged. "Forever?" she asked, breathless.

Inuyasha sighed then nodded and began to pull back. He should have known, she didn't want that. He was stopped as she wrapped her body around him and clung to him.

"Yes, yes. That's what I want. Please Inuyasha, I want this, I want you. Please make me your mate."

He needed no further prompting. He removed his hand and quickly aligned himself with her entrance. He groaned as he slowly began to sink in to her. She was so hot and tight. When he reached her barrier, he paused before swiftly breaking through it. He stilled and swallowed her pained cries with a kiss.

Kagome cried out into his mouth. She had known it would hurt but still wasn't prepared for it. She lay there panting but couldn't regret it. She and Inuyasha were joined as one. It was the most wonderful feeling despite the pain. Slowly the pain faded and she wanted more. She reached up and began planting kisses along the hanyou's jaw while urging him to move.

Once he was sure she was ready, Inuyasha began to thrust. Soon both were crying out in pleasure as they moved as one. He could tell that he was close but he wanted Kagome to reach hers as well. He knew that she wasn't feeling as much pleasure as he, that she still felt some discomfort from being stretched this way. So he reached down between their bodies until he found the spot that gave her pleasure. Then he began to rub and pinch it, keeping in time with his thrusts.

Kagome gasped as she felt waves of pleasure ripple through her. "Inuyasha!" she cried as he pushed her body over the edge.

Inuyasha felt her walls tighten around him and it pushed him over the edge. He felt his own release as his seed rushed to coat her womb. He wasn't worried that she would get pregnant, it was the wrong time of her cycle. He gave a few last thrusts before collapsing onto his side and dragging her with him. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked once he had caught his breath.

"No, you were wonderful." She smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Keh. I should be thanking you. You gave me the most wonderful gift ever." He kissed the top of her head as he heard her yawn. "Get some sleep wench." He continued to hold her and bask in the wonderful feeling of being joined with her until he felt his own eyelids grow heavy and he joined her in sleep.

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><p>The next time they woke, they could tell that the storm had abated. The wind no longer raged and they could see daylight shining through the holes in the hut.<p>

They shared a kiss before each dressed in their now dry clothes. Inuyasha stuck his head out the door to check the area while Kagome repacked her bag. She couldn't help but wonder how things would be between them now that their relationship was irreversibly changed. She had no regrets and hoped that he didn't either. She knew their friends would be happy for them and if the villagers had a problem, they could always live in the forest. She found that she didn't care where she lived as long as they were together.

Inuyasha came back inside and watched her for a moment. He still couldn't believe that she was his now. He frowned as he watched her close up her bag. It seemed emptier than usual. But then she turned and smiled at him and the frown faded. "Got everything?" At her nod, he turned to where the remainder of the fire was burning in the pit and started to put it out. He froze and stared as he spotted something near the edge of the pit.

Kagome looked over at him when she saw him kneel and reach for something near the fire. "Inuyasha?" she asked as she took a step closer to him. He turned to face her and she didn't know what to make of the expression on his face. It was full of awe and something else. "What's wrong?" Then she saw the item he was holding.

Inuyasha continued to look back between the item in his hand, the fire pit, and Kagome. "Kagome, you..." He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence as he again stared at the charred cover of one of her textbooks. He knew how important those were to her, and she had burned them, for **him**.

She blushed. "They were the only thing dry, the only thing I could burn" she explained.

"But, you always go on about how important they are, how important your school is. Why would you?"

Kagome went to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "Yes, they are important to me. But nothing is more important to me than you. I would destroy them again in a heartbeat if I thought it would save you."

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her and tightly embraced her. He didn't know how he had been fortunate enough to gain her love and he would spend the rest of his life trying to be worthy of it. After a far too short amount of time, he released her and moved to the door.

Kagome understood what he couldn't find the words to say and smiled when he said "Come on, let's find the others", allowing him to pull her out of the hut.

They hadn't traveled far when Inuyasha stiffened. He could smell youkai nearby. He stopped Kagome and reached for Tessaiga. When he saw Kagome reach for her bow and arrows he froze. 'Will her powers still work?' he wondered with horror. It hadn't even occurred to him that he might have cost her her powers.

He didn't have long to contemplate it as she immediately called out "Inuyasha. I sense a shard."

They were soon surrounded by a group of the same type of snow youkai. "Keh. Hand over the shard and leave the area and I'll let you live." They snarled back at him. "Which one has the shard?"

"The big one in the middle" Kagome responded as she readied an arrow.

Suddenly the wind began to pick up and snow started to fall. The youkai lunged forward.

"Keh, I don't think so. Kaze no Kizu!" The waves of youki launched outwards. The youkai dodged but Inuyasha still managed to catch four of them with the attack. The remaining four, including the one with the shard, roared in outrage and lunged at them again. One of them fell when Kagome released her glowing arrow. Inuyasha readied himself to deal with the others.

"Inuyasha, behind you" Kagome called as she noticed another youkai trying to sneak up on him. She hurried to notch an arrow, knowing she wouldn't be in time.

Suddenly she heard a shout of "Hiraikotsu!" and looked up to see a large bone boomerang come flying through the air in time to dispatch the youkai. Kagome looked into the sky and spotted the others on Kirara.

"Keh. About time you guys showed up" Inuyasha said as he dispatched another youkai. The only one left was the large one with the shard.

"Forgive us, Inuyasha. We were delayed by the storm and then had difficulty in tracking you. It was only when we discovered the storm had started up again that we had any sign of where you and Kagome-sama had disappeared to." Miroku stated as he launched an ofuda at the snow youkai to slow it down.

The youkai howled in pain and rage before crossing its arms. Kagome recognized the move and shouted "Careful! He can shoot large icicles!" The others dodged at her warning and Miroku used his Kazaana to suck them up while Shippou used his Kitsune-B to distract the snow youkai.

"Keh." Inuyasha took the opportunity to finish off the youkai and Kagome retrieved the shard, placing it with the others in the bottle around her neck. The snow immediately stopped and began to melt.

"Kagome!" Shippou yelled as he launched himself into her arms.

Kagome hugged him to her chest as she asked the others "What happened to you anyway?"

Sango answered. "We managed to stumble back to the village when we could find no sign of you. As soon as the storm passed we came searching for you. But what happened with you?"

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha before answering. She wasn't sure how much he wanted to share. "Well, after we got separated Inuyasha managed to defeat the first youkai but was injured. Then the storm got really bad and we went looking for shelter. We managed to find an old abandoned hut and spent the night there until the storm was over. Then we came looking for you but found the youkai first. You know the rest."

Shippou pulled on her shirt to get her attention. "But that doesn't explain why you smell like Inuyasha. Kind of like my mom smelled of my pa after they sent me off to play."

Kagome blushed as her mind raced to find a way to answer the kitsune. Her friends gave her startled but knowing looks. Miroku got a lecherous look on his face as he opened his mouth to say something.

"Keh. Kagome and I are together now. She's my mate." Inuyasha's admission stunned them into silence. They had been sure it would take more than that for him to admit it. "Come on. We've got shards to find." With that he grasped Kagome's hand and began to walk away.

Kagome smiled as she enjoyed the feeling of their entwined hands. A moment later their friends snapped out of their shock and hurried to catch up, questions spilling from their lips. Her smile widened, life was great.


End file.
